"Hmm?"
Doflamingo pulled out a black-feathered Den Den Mushi from his coat, his voice tinged with surprise.
"Rosinante?"
His expression suddenly shifted. In his mind, his younger brother would never call him unless something serious had happened.
He quickly answered the call, his face turning serious as he asked,
"Rosinante, what happened?"
In the royal palace, Rosinante hadn't expected the call to go through so quickly. He hadn't even figured out what he wanted to say to Doflamingo, and now, caught off guard, he was at a complete loss for words. After stammering for a while, he failed to say anything.
Doflamingo frowned and said,
"I'll come over right now."
Hearing this, Rosinante jumped up from the sofa in shock and quickly shouted,
"No! I just wanted to ask how you've been lately!"
At those words, everyone around Doflamingo froze in place.
There was a brief silence before Doflamingo slowly responded,
"Are you sick?"
"No, I'm in perfect health. Oh, by the way! The Fleet Admiral is here tonight!"
"Nani?! Are you talking about Saint Carl?!"
Seeing the Den Den Mushi mimic Doflamingo's shocked expression, Rosinante couldn't help but chuckle. He nodded and said,
"That's right! And tonight, he's staying in my room!"
As he spoke, a smug grin spread across his face.
Doflamingo sighed inwardly, thinking, What an idiot of a little brother. But he still asked,
"What business does Saint Carl have there?"
Rosinante tightened his grip on his black-feathered coat and explained that Carl was searching for Zou and Joy Boy.
Doflamingo pondered for a moment before saying,
"So, you provided Saint Carl with a valuable lead. Not bad! You did well! Fufufufu…"
It had been a long time since Rosinante heard Doflamingo's signature laugh. Strangely, hearing it again made him feel a bit nostalgic.
Shaking his head, he lifted his chin and said,
"Doflamingo, don't forget—I'm still a Marine!"
"So?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to show you how efficient the Marines can be."
"Tch, in other words, you just got lucky. Based on what you said, the credit should go to Viola."
Rosinante was momentarily speechless at Doflamingo's remark. He sighed, pulled out a cigarette, and flicked his lighter—but as usual, his clumsiness got the better of him. The flame missed the cigarette and instead caught the feathers on his coat, setting them ablaze. He yelped in panic, flailing about to put out the fire.
Even though Doflamingo wasn't in the palace, he could easily imagine what had just happened. Rubbing his forehead in exasperation, he muttered,
"Still an idiot. My foolish little brother…"
After much struggle, Rosinante finally extinguished the flames. His coat was smoldering slightly as he collapsed onto the sofa, drenched in sweat. Staring at the ceiling, he murmured,
"Foolish… Doflamingo, to you, both Father and I must have been unbearable, right?"
Doflamingo's face darkened instantly, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
A heavy silence settled between the two brothers.
After a while, Rosinante slowly sat up and stared at the Den Den Mushi on the table.
"Alright, I have nothing else to say. I'm hanging up…"
"Rosinante, I don't want to talk about Homing anymore. You only need to know one thing—it was his foolishness that got Mother killed and doomed us to a miserable childhood. Even he admitted that in the end. As for you… I have never hated you. Fufufufu… After all, you are my brother, aren't you?"
Rosinante's hand, which had been reaching for the Den Den Mushi, froze in place.
Doflamingo continued,
"I've said my piece. Once I'm done with my current affairs, I'll return to Dressrosa."
Without waiting for a response, Doflamingo hung up. He then picked up a bottle of wine, downed it in one gulp, and slammed the empty bottle onto the table.
Vergo, who had been standing nearby, hesitated before speaking.
"Doffy…"
Doflamingo lowered his head slightly. When he looked up again, his usual devilish grin had returned.
"Fufufufu… That fool Rosinante… Has he finally remembered that he has an older brother?"
He turned his gaze toward the performers who had stopped playing due to the tense atmosphere. With a wave of his hand, he laughed loudly,
"Why did you stop? Keep playing! Keep dancing! Cheers! Fufufufu!!"
Diamante and the others exchanged glances before raising their glasses in unison. The grand hall quickly returned to its usual lively, festive atmosphere.
...
Meanwhile, in the royal bedroom—
Carl lay comfortably on the large, plush bed, holding Wanda in his arms. As for Carrot, she was curled up pitifully in a corner of the bed on a blanket, occasionally glancing toward them with a look of grievance.
She still wasn't ready to sleep naked in Carl's embrace, and Carl didn't force her. Instead, he had someone bring a blanket for her to sleep on.
Carl was deep in thought, while Wanda, her face flushed, nestled against his chest, gazing up at him.
He muttered under his breath,
"Southeast direction…"
Wanda softly asked,
"Master, are you still thinking about Joy Boy?"
Carl gently stroked Wanda's back. Though she was a Mink, her fur was soft and silky, pleasant to the touch.
"I'm trying to figure out his next move."
"Could he just be making Zou wander aimlessly at sea to avoid being captured?"
"Unlikely. If he only wanted to hide, there'd be no need to stay on Zou—it's too large a target."
Wanda blinked a few times before continuing,
"Then… could he be trying to use Zou's power for something?"
"That's highly possible. If Zou were to be controlled, its destructive force could rival that of the Ancient Weapons. If… hmm?"
A gleam flashed in Carl's eyes. Slowly, he sat up in bed, narrowing his gaze.
"Could Joy Boy be planning an attack?"
The more Carl thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Both Marine Headquarters and Mary Geoise were located southeast…
-----------
+185 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg